His Point of View

I am not saying that I like every single pair of boots displayed here… but I am definitely feeling the over the knee and the thigh high boots. So take a look at these and let me know what you think. Even though they are not knee high boots or higher I am really feeling the Yamamoto boots because they remind me of (motorcycle) racing boots, which hold a special place in my heart.
My favorite of the knee high or thigh high boots are the Stella Mccartney thigh highs, with the Louboutin running a close second. I am not really feeling these Cavalli boots, they look like a regular shoe that they transformed into a boot by just adding a couple yards of (not so attractive) fabric until it reached the thigh area, and the seam across the knee is not helping matters at all.

All of these boots are a part of the respective designers’ Fall 2009 collections, so they should be in stores soon.

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Stella Mccartney, thigh high boot

Christian Louboutin, over the knee boot

Roberto Cavalli, suede thigh high boot

Giorgio Armani, crocodile flat boot

all photos from www.style.com

I hope that the first time you heard the word “bespoke” it was not in Kanye’s song… But if that’s the case its time to catch up.   Bespoke means “custom made.”  And in this case I am speaking of custom made shoes. Now there are many companies that produce custom made shoes, but I say if you are going to buy something buy the best you can afford.  James Taylor & Son is one of the best, they have been making bespoke shoes & boots since 1857.

You may ask “Why would I want custom made shoes when the shoes I can pick up at Macy’s or Lord & Taylor work just fine?” And I would say to that, good sir or ma’am that a quality item made to fit your body will always look and fit better than anything you can buy off a rack.  And the added benefit is that a good pair of custom shoes can last you up to 20 years, and I know of cases where they have been handed down to the next generation.  You believe me not????   Well its true, custom shoes can be reconditioned by the manufacturer or any good cobbler and if this is done periodically your shoes will last longer than you(well hopefully not… but you never know).

Well here comes the bad news… to get a pair of these custom made wonders you will have to go to London, England… a couple times… or pay for them to come to you and perform fittings.  You must be fitted upon your initial order, and once again half way through the 3 month long process to ensure that the shoes fit properly.  But once they get your first pair done right, you can re-order with a simple phone call, as they store a mold of your foot which will be used for all future orders.  Oh and more bad news… your first pair will run you about £1495 plus tax  which is is about $2379…. But the good news is that every additional pair after the mold is made will only cost you £1295 or $2060 plus tax.  But that is a low price to pay for a quality pair of shoes which will last you 20 years or more.  Let’s not forget that these shoes will keep your feet healthy and feeling good, as custom shoes can prevent a number of ailments caused by improperly fitted shoes.  And the final benefit I will mention is that you have control over the style of your shoe.  You can select the type of shoe you desire and have it customized to your taste (e.g. wider toe, more narrow toe, select a different color and type of leather, select a precise height and width of your heel, and the list of options goes on)…

Below are some examples of the work which you can find at http://www.taylormadeshoes.co.uk

All photos from http://www.taylormadeshoes.co.uk

And not to leave out the ladies they makes shoes for you too…

I know, I know… not a ton of style variations, but these are only a few of the styles available at James Taylor & Son  and still it is an old school British company, so what dso you expect really other than classic styles.  Like I said before you can select a style and modify it to your taste… or google “bespoke shoes” or “Custom made shoes” and you will find other vendors, some of which provide more contemporary styles.  And even better,  some manufacturers have fitting centers or show rooms in the US.

This dude is crazy on his shoe game… These are all hand painted and one of a kind. For the prices you can’t really beat these for a pair of shoes no one else on the planet will ever have…  I expect that we will see more great designs from John in the future.

all photos from http://www.johnashford.ws

Piano Keys -$1000 (bag included)

Lemonade – $450

White Egyptian $1800 (handbag included)

Komoto Dragon -$1200

Go ahead and kill everybody when you step out in a pair of John Ashford’s hand painted footwear. Yeah the prices are a little steep, but if you want to be sure to stand out in the crowd this is the way to do it.